New Dunedin Hospital: Advanced Water Treatment System and Robust Site Power Through Changing Project Phases
Case Study
Project overview
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is delivering the New Dunedin Hospital to support improved patient flow and modern clinical care for the community. The facility is planned to open with 351 beds (and have capacity to expand to 404 beds), 20 short-stay surgical beds and 58 emergency department spaces that include short-stay and specialised emergency psychiatric care facilities. The project also includes 22 theatres (with capacity to expand to 24).
Throughout the planning, groundworks and construction phases, our Kennards Hire Team provided essential site services and equipment - ranging from power generation and lighting to site amenities, vehicles and comprehensive end-to-end Specialist Solutions through our water management services.
The challenge: groundwater discharge requirements and changing delivery teams
A key requirement on the project was treating groundwater to meet discharge conditions before release to the stormwater system. Delivering this outcome required careful coordination with multiple stakeholders over a 2-year period.
We were selected as the equipment hire and services partner due to our ability to meet Chekrite’s strict onboarding requirements. As the project moved through the planning, groundworks and construction phases under three different contractors, we were re-selected at every stage.
For the groundworks phase, we designed and installed a bespoke water treatment solution tailored to site conditions. This solution was later reinstalled and adapted for the construction phase, remaining in place through to project completion. The process required expert management and validation from our Product Operation Specialists, who assessed factors such as dwell time, hose diameter and head losses to ensure optimal performance as part of the overall solution.
Equipment supplied to the site
To support day-to-day construction activities and compliance requirements, we supplied a wide range of equipment, including:
- AU80 water treatment unit - for treating groundwater prior to discharge.
- 45kVA solar generator - providing 24/7 power to a site compound of six buildings and two toilet blocks.
- Six diesel generators - supplying power to isolated work zones during work hours.
- Hybrid light towers - enabling early morning concrete pours and unscheduled after-hours work.
- Site amenities – that included two 6 metre lunchrooms and two 6 metre toilet blocks.
- Site vehicles - tipper trucks used for internal material movement.
Advanced, Specialist Solution in our Water treatment offering and comprehensive site mobilisation services
For groundwater treatment, we delivered an all-in-one solution designed to reduce complexity on a constrained site. The original configuration required a 60-metre footprint, whereas our solution consolidated all treatment processes into a single 6-metre unit. This significantly reduced space requirements and simplified the setup. The reduced power demand of the unit also enabled more effective planning and optimisation of site power planning.
From our sustainable solutions range, the 45kVA solar generator was selected for its practicality and cost efficiency. Projections showed ~$6,000 savings per month on diesel fuel compared to a traditional fuel-only set up.
In addition to supplying specialised equipment and bespoke power and water treatment solutions, we provided comprehensive site mobilisation support. This included a dedicated Project Manager, Todd Smith, acting as a single point of contact, competitive long-term hire rates, rapid delivery (within one hour), and weekly equipment inspections to ensure all critical assets operated reliably and efficiently.
Outcomes for construction of the Dunedin Hospital
- Reduced site footprint for treatment equipment, supporting safer and simpler installation and re-installation as project teams changed.
- Improved energy efficiency, with reduced fuel consumption for site power delivering both quantified cost savings and achieving set noise reduction targets.
- Seamless continuity across contractor handovers, with the equipment solutions customised, presented and re-established across each project phases.
- Full compliance with all certifications and standards coupled with rapid response to daily site needs as construction continues to progress.